In his first season as a varsity starter, junior guard Dane Farrar hasn’t developed into a prolific scorer for Batavia, but he could be described as something of a prolific player.
The 6-foot-2 Farrar contributes to the Bulldogs’ success in many aspects on the court.
“I average five to 10 points most nights,” he said. “I’m usually on the other team’s scorer. I can play almost any position on the offense, and if it’s a small team, I can guard all the positions.
“That’s kind of my role.”
Farrar’s role was pretty typical Saturday afternoon for the host Bulldogs in a 55-37 victory over Hinsdale Central in the 32nd annual Jim and Sylvia Roberts Batavia Night of Hoops.
While he scored only five points, Farrar stepped up for Batavia (13-8) by grabbing 10 rebounds, blocking two shots, making three steals, dishing out two assists and drawing a charge.
Senior forward Brett Berggren led with 15 points and senior point guard Xavier Justice added 13 points for the Bulldogs, who are 8-1 in their last nine games after battling through December to get and stay above .500.
But in the end, it was Farrar’s effort that went a long way Saturday.
“Dane does a lot of things,” Batavia coach Jim Nazos said. “He came up with a loose ball too that led to a 3-pointer for us. There’s been a lot of different guys at different times stepping up.”
Farrar wasn’t particularly pleased with his defense, however, as senior guard Cole Bero scored a game-high 26 points for Hinsdale Central (8-13).
“Dane drew the straw of guarding No. 3, who was very good,” Nazos said of Bero.
Bero was basically a one-man show, though, with only three other Red Devils scoring.
And Batavia met its team goal defensively, which has been carrying the load since the new year.
“We’ve come together as a team and really focus on defense in practice,” Farrar said. “And then our bench players have done a lot for us when we’re in foul trouble, especially with defense.
“We’ve held most teams under 42 about every game and we can capitalize on that. We try to keep the other team under 10 points each quarter. We’ve been doing pretty well with it. On offense, we try to get to the 50s, and if we can, we should get a win out of it.”
The Bulldogs went 5-7 before the calendar flipped to 2026, giving up an average of 47.7 points a game. In the new year, they’re allowing only 41.6.
Hinsdale Central had quarter scores of 12, seven, nine and nine points, respectively.
“We were very good at losing one-possession games in November and early December,” Nazos said. “It’s an enjoyable group to coach because they compete. They see things, and when they’re not good things, they start to trust amongst each other.”
A key win came Friday with a 48-43 decision over Glenbard North, a DuKane Conference rival that had beaten the Bulldogs twice before this winter. The Panthers won 49-47 in overtime on Dec. 5 in a conference game and 49-45 on Dec. 30 in a Jack Tosh Christmas Tournament game at York.
Nazos believes the best is yet to come, for both his team and Farrar.
“I really think we’ve got our best ball ahead of us, even though we’ve had a nice little stretch here,” Nazos said. “The key has been doing a lot of good things defensively.
“There’s been good team defensive awareness, communication and limiting a team’s possession, getting tips and steals. It’s helped a ton.”
And Farrar?
“He can defend — he can rebound,” Nazos said. “He sees the floor really well and hits open shots. And you would never think it sometimes, but I think he could grow a few more inches. His parents are a little taller.
“Next year, I think you’re going to see another guy in him, too.”